The Conversation

Students go to hell and back in this course that looks at depictions of the damned throughout the ages

Written by Robert Gordon Joseph, Senior Lecturer of Communication, University of Dayton

Visions of hell have varied in books and movies throughout the years.wera Rodsawang/Moment via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“Road to Hell: The Apocalypse in Classical and Contemporary Forms”

What prompted the idea for...

Election reform was on the ballot – voters largely said ‘no’

Written by Matthew May, Research Scholar, Boise State University

Voters turned down a variety of reforms to how they cast ballots.Anastasiia_New/IStock/Getty Images Plus

With increased political polarization, rules governing who can participate in primary elections have received more attention from advocates looking to reduce that polarization. That has led to an election reform movement across the country that...

Polling in the age of Trump highlights flawed methods and filtered realities

Written by Spencer Goidel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Auburn University

Politics on social media has everyone running around in their own little bubbles.Peter Keleman/Moment via Getty Images

The results of the 2024 presidential election cement a trend in American politics: Polls cannot accurately gauge support for Donald Trump. In the 2016, 2020 and now 2024 elections, polls consistently underestimated Trump’s...

I wrote a book on the execution of the Rosenbergs for Cold War spying – and a recently declassified document has convinced me that Ethel was innocent

Written by Lori Clune, Professor of History, California State University, Fresno

The sons of an American woman executed for spying on the United States during the Cold War want President Joe Biden to clear her name before he leaves office.

Ethel Rosenberg and her husband, Julius, were executed on June 19, 1953, for conspiracy to commit espionage. They were accused of giving “the secret” of the atomic bomb to the...

Tiny laboratories that fit in your hand can rapidly identify pathogens using electricity

Written by Blanca H. Lapizco-Encinas, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology

Microfluidics makes use of tiny channels to speed up analyses of biomolecules such as DNA and proteins.Thom Leach/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

When you think of electric fields, you likely think of electricity – the stuff that makes modern life possible by powering everything from household appliances to cellphones. Researchers have...

Gen Z heads home: How to navigate the evolving parent-child relationship as kids become adults

Written by Amy Root, Professor of Applied Human Sciences, West Virginia University

Emerging adult children and their parents can experience growing pains as they navigate a changing relationship.AJ_Watt/E+ via Getty Images

As a professor of child development and family science, every year I witness college students heading home for the holidays after a few months of relative independence. Anecdotally, most students express...

In a world where political polarization and disengagement are denting democracy, does Botswana’s ‘kgotla’ system hold the key?

Written by Bernd Reiter, Professor of Political Science, Texas Tech University

Residents in Modipane, Botswana, attend a kgotla.Author supplied/Bernd Reiter, CC BY-SA

In late October, more than 80% of Botswana’s electorate went to the polls and voted out the incumbent government. The unexpected result was accepted by all parties, and the outgoing president immediately announced his plans for a smooth transition of power....

Opioid-free surgery treats pain at every physical and emotional level

Written by Heather Margonari, Lead Coordinator for the Opioid Free Pathway, University of Pittsburgh

Opioids have been an essential part of anesthesia, but they aren't the only way to manage pain.Hispanolistic/E+ via Getty Images

The opioid crisis remains a significant public health challenge in the United States. In 2022, over 2.5 million American adults had an opioid use disorder, and opioids accounted for nearly 76% of overdose deaths.

Some...

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ case raises questions about the many observers who might have ignored his alleged crimes

Written by Zoe D. Peterson, Director of the Sexual Assault Research Initiative at the Kinsey Institute and Professor of Applied Psychology in Education and Research Methodology, Indiana University

Sean Combs attends an event in Atlanta in August 2023. Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The billionaire hip-hop producer Sean Combs was charged in September 2024 with sex trafficking and a range of other offenses – and continues to be hit with lawsuits from alleged victims.

Perhaps one of the most stunning aspects of the unfolding case is the...

As Trump touts plans for immigrant roundup, militias are standing back, but standing by

Written by Amy Cooter, Director of Research, Academic Development, and Innovation at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Middlebury

Civilian paramilitaries, like these pictured in 2016, patrol areas of the U.S.-Mexico border searching for immigrants and drug smugglers.John Moore/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has reaffirmed that once he takes office he plans to declare a national emergency and use the military on American streets to accomplish his promises to round...